A Special Kind of Sadness
by Y.R. Night
Summary: AU in which Dean and Castiel are two college Juniors in the same English class. When they get a partner assignment, they wind up working together. Everyone experiments in college... Rated mostly for language, might have to change the rating later. Destiel.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Alright so this is my second fic, and I plan for it to be several chapters. Hopefully it isn't too bad, and it is unbeta'd, so any mistakes are mine and spellcheck's. Please please pleeeease review. I will love you forever and send you internet cookies shaped like the Impala. Ok, on with the show….

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Dean Winchester was bored. He was sitting in an English class, bored out of his skull, trying to understand how he had been forced to take this class. Everyone seemed like a complete idiot, and he was fairly sure none of them had actually read the book they were supposed to be was only the second week of college, and already all he wanted was to get his syllabus, his final project assignment, and make tracks for the door. He was about to leave and just visit during office hours to pick up a final project assignment then when his teachers voice broke into his thoughts.

"Next up, your final project will be a partner project, because I know how you all enjoy those." Here most of the class rolled their eyes or groaned or started whining. The rest began frantically looking around the room, trying to figure out who was smart enough to do the project for them. "You and your partner will analyze how the quote 'love is a special kind of sadness we're all addicted to' from literary critic N. E. Ko applies to life and/or a literary work." More groans as students thought of the agony and boredom of writing a literary analysis paper. "You must have at least six sources, none of which may be Wikipedia, and yes, I will be checking these sources so…" Mr. Greer continued to drone on, but Dean wasn't listening. Like the rest of the class, he craned his neck around to see who he would partner with, though he was mostly looking for someone whom he wouldn't want to throttle after five minutes of listening to their thoughts on how Hamlet "so totally overreacted". One of his high school friends, Alec, waved to him, gesturing to the cute brunette next to him with a thumbs-up. Dean returned it, looking around, wondering who else he could pair up with. Suddenly, he turned his head, catching a glimpse of black hair and azure eyes at the back of the class.

Something told him to ask this kid to be his partner. Dean wandered over and asked somewhat awkwardly, "So, uh, you got a partner already?"

The other man looked up at him "No, I planned on doing this alone, and I have a feeling with you, I would wind up doing all the work anyway, so please, find another jock friend of yours to work with."

Dean was taken aback. All he asked was if the guy had a partner! "Look, it has to be a joint project, so you can't do it alone, and since I only have one friend in this class, who already has a partner, I wanted to ask you. But you know what? If you're just going to make assumptions, I'll ask Greer if we can work alone. Because I don't need some damn engineering major, or pre-med or whatever, assuming I can't do the work."

The other man looked at Dean, his eyes widening slightly. "Oh I'm…I mean I didn't…if you really wanted…Do you want to be partners?" The other finally managed.

"Not if you're going to be such an asshole about it," he replied.

"I'm sorry, we really seem to have gotten off on the wrong foot, don't we? I'm Castiel Novak. Would you like to be my partner?" asked the man, Castiel.

"Fine. I'm Dean, by the way, Dean Winchester. And I'm not a jock."

"Alright class, seems like everyone has found a partner, so you are all free to go," interrupted Mr. Greer. "Don't forget, my office hours are posted outside my door, and we will be working on this in class, so I will see some of you at the end of the year."

"So, what's your next class, Dean Winchester?" asked Castiel.

"Just Dean, please. Dean Winchester makes it sound like I'm an actor or something. And I don't have one, this is my only Thursday class," replied Dean. "So Cas, want to come back to my dorm and work on this? We may as well get started early."

"Sounds good. So," asked Castiel as they made their way through the mass of students trying to leave, "if you're not a jock, what are you? You obviously work out, and I've seen you on your morning run a couple times. So what? If you're not into sports, why do you so much emphasis on being physically fit? If you're trying to look hot, you really are succeeding."

They were out in the quad now and Dean turned to look at Castiel with shock on his face. "Excuse me?"

"I said you look hot. Oh I'm sorry, I didn't mention I was gay?" quipped Cas, a somewhat cynical smirk on his face. "Going to run off now? Ask the teacher if you can work alone? You can, you know, it won't bother me."

"No, no I…I was just…Sorry. You caught me off guard for a second. And of course I still want to work with you. There's nothing wrong with being a little different," replied Dean, making it Cas's turn to be shocked. "And that's bullshit, that it wouldn't bother you. My brother is bi, and I know how much it hurts him when people don't accept him."

Now Cas was completely taken aback, is mouth opening and closing like a fish as Dean turned back and started walking toward his dorm again. After a moment, Cas caught up to him, walking alongside him for a while. Finally, they arrived at the door to Dean's building and Cas just stood there for a moment while Dean held the door open. Then he smiled and walked past Dean into the building. Dean smiled back and led him up to his room, opening it and leading Cas into a small but clean and well-organized living area with a kitchen area along one wall.

"Well, here we are, my very own paradise. I'm a total neat freak, but it's normally not this clean, just as a forewarning. My roommate Gabe is kind of a slob, and seems like a total jerk until you get to know him.

"It's nice," said Cas, having been brought up to be polite. "Shall we start working on the paper?"

"Sure. I figured we would analyze the quote as it applies to real life. I mean, love makes a lot of people sad. Especially if someone they love leaves, or if they love someone who doesn't love them." Dean stopped, looking at Cas. "Any ideas?"

"Well, a literary analysis should involve some sort of literature," said Cas, his head tilting to one side, thinking. "Perhaps we could incorporate Romeo and Juliet, how love eventually causes six deaths, though indirectly for the most part."

"That's a pretty good starting place," commented Dean, now sitting on a couch with a notebook in hand, taking notes. He motioned Cas to sit next to him. "Ok, so if we start with Romeo and Juliet, we can segue into life and… seriously, would you sit? I can't stand it when people hover."

"Sorry" said Cas a bit awkwardly, sitting on the couch with a couple of feet between him and Dean.

"S'okay. Alright now…."

The two of them worked on the essay for several hours, eventually sitting around eating pizza, flshing out the essay, thinking of how they could research it. Cas finally got comfortable with Dean, sitting next to him, pointing out places in the notebook where Dean had made a mistake or could add something. It was nearly two am when they finally stopped for the night. Cas was yawning and practically leaning on Dean to stay upright, while Dean was staring at the notebook, trying to figure out what was missing. Eventually he gave up, realizing Cas was leaning on his shoulder, snoring quietly. Dean smiling, thinking of when Sammy was a kid, and gently laid down Cas, grabbing a blanket from the closet and laying it over him before carefully removing his shoes and setting them next to the pillow. Then he made his way to his own room, falling asleep immediately.

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So what did y'all think? I thought that was a pretty good place to break it. Please R&R, reviews are love, and love makes the world go round, So if you don't review, the world could stop spinning o.O


	2. Chapter 2

Ok so I hate not updating quickly, and since so many people favorited/alerted, I thought I would post something. Here it is. Please remember to review. More reviews means faster updates people!

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The next morning, Sam dropped by. As he opened the door, he caught sight of a figure asleep on the couch and closed the door quietly. As Sam approached, he realized the figure wasn't his brother, but some guy with black hair. Raising an eyebrow, Sam moved off to make coffee, figuring someone would explain things eventually.

As Cas opened his eyes, he realized that one, he was still in Dean's dorm, two, there was someone else in the room, and three, he had fallen asleep against Dean last night and had woken up with a blanket covering him and his shoes off. Cas sat up, trying to figure out how this could have happened when a voice sounded from behind him. "Morning" called a male voice, sounding far too happy for whatever time it was. "Do you want milk and sugar with your coffee?"

Cas turned and saw a sasquatch with a mop of brown hair, hazel eyes, and an absolutely gorgeous body. "Um, yeah thanks. Are you Gabriel?" he asked, wondering if this was Dean's roommate.

"Nope, just the little brother. I'm Sam," replied the man, smiling and handing Cas a cup.

"Oh, hello. I'm Cas. And this isn't what it looks like," said Cas somewhat awkwardly.

"Just looks like you crashed on a couch to me," replied Sam, smiling. "So how did you come to be on said couch?" He asked, flopping into the seat across from Cas with his own cup.

"Your brother and I were working on an English paper and I must have dozed off."

"You know, that's the first time I've heard that excuse from someone Dean had stay over and actually believed it." Sam smirked. "So are you planning on making a move?"

Cas nearly spit out his coffee. "Excuse me?"

"Well, I kinda saw you checking me out, and Dean is pretty good looking, so I was wondering if you were planning anything."

Cas just sat there with his mouth open for a second. His first thought was 'Oh hell yes I'm going to make a move'. What came out of his mouth was "I don't really think that would be appropriate. We are partners for the purpose of completing an English project. Besides, I doubt he would be interested."

"You would be surprised what Dean can be 'interested in' while drunk. Just in case you ever need that information."

"That is…most helpful. Thank you," replied Cas, stunned by Sam's perceptiveness. 'Geez it's like he can read minds.'

"What was helpful?" asked Dean, striding in wearing sweatpants and not much else.

"N-nothing. I was talking to your brother about the project and he suggested a source."

"Trust my geek brother to know something like that," replied Dean, pouring himself a cup of coffee. "So Sammy, I see you've met Castiel."

"It's Sam, and you know it," replied Sam without anger.

"Whatever, bitch."

"Whatever yourself, jerk," replied Sam. "So what are you up to today?"

"Well, I thought I would sit around, watch TV, maybe work on some homework, and tonight there's a party at the AA. Hey Cas, feel like getting drunk tonight? Sam?"

Sam was struck with an idea. "I can't go. Cas, can you supervise him for me? I can't be on hand to pick him up if he gets wasted."

"AA? Isn't that sort of the opposite of a bar?" asked Castiel.

"It stands for Archangel Abyss," said Sam, smirking. "But everyone calls it AA."

"So that's settled then. Cas, meet me downstairs at seven, and I will show you a fantastic night," said Dean. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some very important homework to do that must be turned in by 2 this afternoon." With that Dean walked into his bedroom, leaving Cas and Sam alone together again.

"You're welcome. Oh and here's my number," said Sam, writing a phone number on one of the notebooks on the table before smiling and getting up. He walked over to the door, but turned back. "Text me tomorrow and tell me how it went. You really should go for it. Much as he likes to pretend he's all macho, he's actually a total softy. And not quite as straight as he may think."

Castiel just sat there, stunned. Did he have a date tonight?

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At seven that night, Cas showed up at the door to Dean's dorm in a tight-fitting black t-shirt and comfortable jeans. At exactly 7:05, Dean scrambled down the stairs in jeans and a black t-shirt with a green button-up open over it. "Sorry, had to finish typing something. Ready?"

"Sure. Although I must tell you, I've never actually…been to a bar," said Cas, looking at the ground.

Dean threw an arm around his shoulder and grinned. "Don't worry, I am a master at imbibing copious quantities of alcohol."

Cas smiled and followed Dean to his car, but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw which car was his. "Is that…is that a '67 Chevy Impala?" asked Cas, awe in his voice.

"Yeah, she's been in the family for a while. Still runs like new, though," said Dean, climbing into the driver seat. As Cas got in, Dean pulled out, heading for the club.

"Um Dean?" began Cas, then stopped, unsure of how to go on.

"What's up?"

"Well, I mean I'm not really…social. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do at a bar."

"Don't worry about it. Just relax, it'll be fun," said Dean, glancing at Cas and smiling.

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When they finally arrived, Cas got out, and he could already hear the thump of bass. Oh no. "Dean, I can't dance."

"Seriously, you have got to stop worrying. Just follow my lead, k?" Cas followed Dean inside, and was immediately assaulted by loud pop/rock music.

They say before you start a war,

you better know what you're fighting for.

Well baby, you are all that I adore,

If love is what you need, a soldier I will be.

Actually, he kinda liked that song. He followed Dean to the bar, where Dean order two shots of tequila, and told the bartender to keep them coming. "Dean what are we..?"

"Just trust me." Somehow, that sentence made Cas trust him even less. "I know about drinking."

After several minutes, Cas was lightly buzzed but remembered he had to drive home, so he asked the bartender for a Coke. He received it thankfully and watched, somewhat amazed, as Dean continued to do shots for nearly an hour, until he could barely stay on his stool. Eventually, Cas decided that Dean needed to go home. He was utterly wasted, words slurring so badly he could only catch every second or third word. "Come on Dean, time to go home." With this, he slipped an arm around his new friend's shoulders and half dragged him to the car, having already taken his keys several minutes ago, when it became clear Dean had no intention of driving tonight. After getting him settled in the passenger seat, Cas got into the driver's side, beyond happy to be able to drive this gorgeous car.

He got them back to Dean's dorm, managed to get him upstairs, and finally got to the door before realizing he didn't know where Dean's key was. He patted Dean down as carefully as he could, trying not to notice the toned, beautiful body just under those clothes. Finally, he found it, unlocked the door, and dragged Dean as gently as he could into his room. Cas got him in bed, shoes off, under the covers, and then dragged a chair over to watch him as he slept, making sure he was ok. Somewhere around midnight he finally fell asleep to the soft sounds of Dean breathing. As unconsciousness claimed him, he thought 'I could get used to this.'

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So mostly just a bunch of fluff, but I wanted to update quickly, so here it is. Once again, reviews are love people. I need love! Also, if anyone has any suggestions, this whole fic was brought by a random comment by my friend Neko, and I will try to work in your suggestions.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Sorry for the delay, I had a 102 degree fever that finally went down to 98.8 today. So now, I'm sitting in bed at 10:30 pm writing the next chapter and hoping it's at least kinda good. As always, keep the Earth spinning by sending reviews. Also, I'm thinking of putting in some Sabriel. Thoughts? Questions? Sudden explosive longing to tell me you love me and never want me to stop writing? (Suggestions are always welcome happy pills against the depression that is writer's block)

Ok, enough. Time to actually get to the story.

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When Cas wakes up in Dean's room for the second time, he writes a quick note and then leaves before anyone notices he spent the night. He is almost to the door into the main hallway when he hears a door open behind him. Panicked, he looks around for someplace to hide and leaps from his current position to a crouched on behind the counter of the tiny kitchen area. He listens as feet shuffle down the hallway towards the kitchen. As thy come around the edge of the counter, Cas, thinking as fast as he can, tries to look like he's searching for something in the cabinet.

"Um, can I help you?" asked a voice from just behind him. Cas turned and saw a guy in maybe his early twenties wearing an undershirt and a pair of sweatpants.

"Yes, I was wondering where you kept your coffee. Dean and I are supposed to be working on a project this morning, and I thought I would make coffee while I waited for him to wake up."

"Really?" said the man, who could only be Dean's roommate Gabriel. "So you thought that at," he paused, looking at a clock, "nine am on a Saturday morning, you would show up to work on a project then look for coffee under a sink with the cleaning supplies? Interesting story."

Cas stood up, looking at Gabriel, who smiled back and opened a cabinet right at eye level, took out a bag of coffee, and began scooping it into the basket of a coffeemaker. "So what is the project about?" asked Gabriel as they waited for the coffee to brew.

"We are supposed to analyze a quote from a renowned literary critic and describe how it relates to literature and the human condition."

"Interesting, I'm absolutely fascinated. Also, you have about two hours before Dean is up, so you can go home, change, and come back. You know, if you don't want to do the whole walk of shame," said Gabriel, waggling his eyebrows. Castiel cocked his head to one side like a puppy who doesn't understand something.

"I don't understand that reference."

"That's ok, I'm sure you'll learn in time," replied Gabriel.

Not really sure what he meant, Castiel left to change his clothes, brush his teeth, and just get ready for the day in general. As he went through his routine, he felt sure he and Dean could finish their project fairly quickly if they continued working at their current pace, and that would leave time for... other activities.

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He returned around noon, having had a light breakfast, showered, and changed clothes. Gabriel was still home, but at least Dean was awake, though he looked as though he felt less than stellar, considering his decidedly grouchy visage and somewhat stooped posture. Cas remained very quiet, looking at Dean, pointing to the couch, then puttering around the kitchen, microwaving a frozen breakfast sandwich he found in the freezer and bringing it to Dean, long with a cup of coffee and two extra strength headache relievers. Dean accepted them with a slight smile in Cas's direction.

"Aww, got yourself a regular housewife, De!" said Gabriel, rather loudly in Castiel's opinion. Cas turned to glare at him, and Gabriel actually took a step back, holding up his hands in mock surrender.

Castiel turned back to Dean, who was smiling at him. "Never knew someone who could get Gabriel to shut up. You should teach me that trick," said Dean in a voice like silk and velvet running over gravel.

Castiel just smiled for a moment, enjoying that voice, before he managed to clear his throat and actually speak. "I think it's just a function of force of personality. Being openly gay, you learn _that_ pretty fast."

There was so much pain and anger behind those words, though Dean had no idea how he knew this, that he reached out and put a hand on Cas's shoulder. He just felt such a profound bond with this geeky, but oddly likeable, kid from his English class.

Castiel jumped visibly at the contact, but didn't pull away as Dean had expected. Instead he looked at Dean, seemingly mystified. Then he shook himself, cleared his throat again, and asked "Have I ever told you about my family?"

Sensing this was going somewhere, something was changing, Dean simply sat there and shook his head no.

"Well I mean if you wanted, I could tell you about them I mean you probably don't want to know but I know whenever I had a hangover it always helped to some story that I could focus on instead of my head hurting but I'm sure you don't want to hear it so I guess I'll just leave now and…"

Dean put a finger to Cas's lips, silencing him. "I would love to hear about your family Cas, I'm sure they're wonderful."

"They're not. Not at all. You… you don't really want to know."

Dean gave Cas his best puppy dog eyes, trying to channel his inner Sammy. "Come on Cas. I like your voice, and my head actually feels better already." And for a wonder, it did. His headache seemed to soften slowly as Cas had spoken.

Castiel looked unconvinced, but at least he wasn't walking away. "I mean…if you really wanted to know, I guess…I dunno. I guess I could tell you."

Finally, Castiel seemed to steel himself. Then he looked into Dean's eyes and began his story.

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Ooooh! My first cliffhanger. Sorry if it seems like they're getting to be really good friends really quickly, but I actually met my best friend and became best friends in like two or three days. Plus, it seemed really natural. Feel free to disagree, I can always change it if no one likes it :) Please R&R!


	4. Chapter 4

I am so ridiculously sorry for taking so long to update, I just graduated high school and then had to go to parties and then college orientation and then looking for a job an yeah my life was crazy. But I'm back! Also, reviews are always appreciated, and make me write much faster. Also, if you have any ideas/characters to suggest, I love having input :) as always, this is unbeta'd, so any mistakes are my own. Ok, I'll shut up now and let you get to the story

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"I guess I'll start out with my mother," Cas said, looking a bit distant. "She was amazing: always laughing, always a smile for everyone. She was the light, the warmth in our home. When she died in a head-on collision with a drunk driver, my father just…just lost it. He became really religious: deacon at the local church, in service every Sunday, always talking about The Word and how The Word would save us. He was born and raised Catholic, and decided he wanted to rename all of his children after angels. Which brings me to my siblings, Luke and Michael. Luke is actually short for Lucifer, but we always called him Luke. Except my father, he doesn't believe in nicknames."

Dean nodded, staying silent.

"So now that you know everyone, I guess you should know more about us as a family. My father, as I said, was very religious, and worked for a prominent televangelist. He wasn't home a lot, and I guess that might be the only reason I'm alive. You see, when I finally came out, my father was horrified that his own son was "an abomination". He tried to, as he put it, "beat the gay" out of me. My brother Michael wasn't much better. He barely spoke to me after I finally came out, always working late, always distant.

Luke was the only one who didn't abandon me. He was always there. Whenever my dad was home, he would cover for me, tell Father I wasn't home and then hide me in his room. I can't tell you how hard it is… to have to hide in a closet while your father screams about how your brother is defending and 'affront to Christ', that he'll 'burn with that abhorrent creature'." Cas was completely lost in the story now, his eyes a thousand miles away, not seeing as Dean's brows drew together in anger.

"Eventually I had to leave," he continued. "Luke helped me find a job at the library, helped me find an apartment. By my senior year of high school, I had been on my own for almost a year. Luke told my father I had killed myself, and his response was 'Well, it's not as if he could be more of a sinner.'" At this Dean actually gasped quietly, shocked at how cruel it seemed.

"Senior year was brutal. I had decided I would be open with my sexuality, and I took a lot of shit for it. The only things that saved me were my friends, Faith and Criss, and my brother. They were always the ones to listen, give advice, tell me stupid jokes until I smiled." Dean smiled, glad that Cas had at least some happiness in his life. "They even got me to join the drama club, and that club really helped me accept myself. It was like having a family that loved me, for the first time in my life. They were the ones to teach me to stand up for myself, that there was nothing wrong with me just because of who I loved. But then, in the middle of my senior year, just before midterms, Luke just disappeared. I tried his cell phone, his friends, I even tried calling the house, but he was nowhere to be found. He just…left.

"That summer I worked as often as I could. I had to save up enough for tuition, books, all of that. By the time freshman year of college rolled around, I was an assistant to the head of an accounting firm, making enough money that I only had to work three days a week to keep my head above water. Two years later here I am."

"Damn," commented Dean, truly impressed. "You're pretty incredible, you know that?"

Cas jumped, looking at Dean. "Excuse me?" he asked, sounding almost startled.

"You're incredible. You supported yourself for two years, got into college, and all the time held onto who you are. That's pretty impressive. Not many people could have done that."

Cas looked at his hands. "I'm not incredible."

Dean snorted. "Please. You so are. I don't know too many thirty year olds who could have done what you did at seventeen."

"Yes, I'm absolutely amazing," replied Cas, voice dripping sarcasm. "So amazing, in fact, that I managed to alienate my entire family, make them think I was dead, then work myself ragged just trying to get by. And of course there's always the fun part where I…" Cas snapped his mouth closed, looking like he wanted to take that last bit back.

"Cas? Where you what? What happened?" asked Dean, concerned for him now.

"It's nothing Dean, leave it," snapped Cas, getting up and walking into the kitchen area.

"It's obviously not," replied Dean, following him. "What happened?"

"Look, it's none of your business and it's not…I can't…." Cas trailed off, looking into the sink.

"Come on, Cas. It might help to tell someone. Besides, who would I tell?" Dean replied, smirking a bit.

"Stop pushing, Dean. I can't talk about it."

"Why? What's the big deal?"

"I was raped, ok?" Cas exploded, turning around to face Dean, then looked horrified. "I mean… it wasn't really….it…he…"

"Cas? Cas, maybe you should sit down, you really don't look good," said Dean, catching Cas by the arm, then letting go when Cas flinched. "It's ok, it's just me. Why don't we go sit down?"

Cas nodded, still with that lost look on his face. Dean guided him back to the couch and sat down next to him, putting an arm around his shoulder. "Ok, why don't you start from the beginning. When was this?"

"It was a party, my sophomore year. My roommate invited me, and I decided to go. It was at one of the fraternities on campus, and there was a lot of alcohol. I didn't normally drink, but I was really stressed, had just handed in a huge research paper, and I wanted to relax a little, you know? An hour after we got there I was pretty smashed, and I was starting to feel kinda sick. This guy I had been talking to, Balthazar, he offered to take me outside. He seemed so nice. We went outside, and I kind of stumbled against him. He caught me, but then he wouldn't let go…he just…wouldn't. And then we were walking, and I remember that I couldn't hear the music anymore…and then I couldn't see anybody. We were in a park, I think…and then he shoved me into a tree and…and…Dean I'm sorry I can't. I really can't. Please..."

Cas turned, hiding his face against the side of Dean's neck, realized he was in Dean's space and tried to pull away but Dean just pulled him back.

"It's ok. Shhhhh… It's ok, it's fine, you don't have to." Dean rubbed Cas's back in soothing circles, flashing back to when Sammy was little and used to have nightmares.

"I…I should have…but…Dean he seemed so nice!"

"I know, it's ok, just breathe Cas, it's fine."

They stayed like that for a while, Cas leaning on Dean for supported, Dean calming him, murmuring nonsense to him. Eventually, Cas's breathing evened out, and Dean helped him sit up.

"How about we stay here today?" suggested Dean. "Just you, me, popcorn, and every Star Wars movie ever made?"

Cas laughed a bit, almost a ghost of a laugh, but still there. "Well, I certainly can't be seen in public like this, and you look like hell. So it sounds like a plan."

"Great! I'll get popcorn, you find episode 1," said Dean, making his way to the kitchen.

Cas started looking through the rack, smiling a bit to himself. It really had helped, telling Dean, and he trusted him to keep his secret. _Funny how I feel like I've known him forever_, thought Cas, then shrugged, not wanting to overanalyze it.

They spent the day watching movies, both good and terrible, and eating popcorn and candy. Cas was pretty sure he had never been so happy in his life.

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Hopefully that at least partially made up for the loooong wait. Sorry once again, I'll try to update sooner. Remember, more reviews = faster update. Do It! Oh, and I almost forgot! If you favorited or alerted, THANK YOU! I love you all, and you have no idea how much that means to me! Until next time!


	5. Chapter 5

OK, let me start by saying I am unimaginably sorry for how long it took to post another chapter. I'm really, REALLY sorry you guys! I was trying to find a job and then I had friends asking me to come over and I really couldn't make myself sit down and type so I'm writing now… Also, pleeeeaaassseeee send me an idea for more chapters! I want to hear from you! I'm terribly addicted to attention (I'm an attention something-that-rhymes-with –core-but-I-don't-want-to-type-cuz-mods-can-be-super-sensitive) Ok, so now I will shut up and finally get to my story :)

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The next few days were a pleasant blur for Dean Winchester. He and Cas hung out pretty much every day, and the essay was coming along real well. Three days after Cas revealed his secret, Dean and Sam were eating lunch together, something they tried to do every week. Sam was eating one of his overly-healthy, unappetizing salads while Dean enjoyed a bacon cheeseburger.

"So, you and Cas have been hanging out a lot lately," commented Sam.

"Yeah, he's pretty cool. Unlike my geek brother, he's not allergic to anything that might be considered remotely fun," replied Dean, smiling.

Sam flicked a crouton at his brother and Dean dodged it easily, both of them grinning at each other. "Seriously though, you guys seem really happy together. I'm glad," said Sam. "Cas deserves someone like you."

"What are you talking about, Sam?" questioned Dean, suddenly nervous that someone had found out about Cas.

"Well, he said he told you. About what happened at that party. He and I text pretty much every day."

"When the hell did this start?" replied Dean, looking somewhat offended at being kept out of the loop.

"Chill, we exchanged numbers when I was over a while ago and we're friends." Dean still looked mildly affronted, and Sam rolled his eyes. "Look, if it makes you feel any better, he thinks you're a great guy, and telling you really helped him. He was…" Sam trailed off, looking worried.

"Was what Sam?"

"He was in a bad place. I'll leave you to sort through the meaning of that yourself," replied Sam. "Besides, it's really something he should talk over with his boyfriend, not his best friend."

"Shut up Sam, we're not dating."

"Oh no, of course not, you just happen to spend practically every waking moment together and wind up sleeping in each other's dorm rooms all the time. That's definitely not dating. I was obviously reading it wrong." Sam dodged the fry Dean threw at him and continued in a softer voice. "All I'm saying is, would it be so bad? You haven't let anyone in for a long time. Maybe you should trust Cas as much as he trusts you."

"Look, just…leave it, ok?" said Dean, unconsciously echoing Cas. "Lisa was a long time ago, and it's not as though I was…it's not as though what happened to me happened to him."

"I can't help but notice that your argument isn't that you don't love him, or at least like him that way," commented Sam.

"And you know damn well why that is, so shut the hell up," commented Dean.

"Uh-huh. Whatever you say, Dean," replied Sam, going back to his salad. Dean glared for a minute, then went back to his burger. The two of them finished lunch, talking about how things were going with Sam, assignments that were coming up (here Sam again slipped in something about how hard Dean was working on his English essay), and other trivial topics. Dean left eventually, telling his brother he would text later, and headed for his dorm to study for a Calculus test he had coming up. He was still struggling a bit on indefinite integrals.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

He'd been studying for what felt like days and was probably only a couple hours when he heard Smoke on the Water blaring from his bedside table. Picking up his cell phone, Dean saw the name on the caller id and picked up immediately. "Hey Cas, I can't really hang tonight, I-"

"Dean.…" Cas made a coughing, whimpering sound. "A couple of guys…I was walking back to my… dorm and I think…I think they broke a rib or two."

"Cas, where are you?" asked Dean, already putting his coat on.

"Near a fountain…Somewhere near Caspard Hall."

"I'll be there in five minutes. Stay there," commanded Dean, now jogging down the stairs of his building.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

It was more like two minutes later when Dean rounded the fountain Castiel had described at a flat run and saw Cas sitting with his back against the wall of the fountain looking like he had gone three rounds with a wood chipper. His face was cut and bruised, one arm looked broken, and the way he was sitting told Dean he had meant what he said about his ribs.

"Cas!" Dean yelled, skidding to a stop in front of him and whipping out a cell phone. "Cas, I'm here, it's ok, just breathe. I'm here."

"Dean...Oh thank God," whispered Cas, trying to smile. As Dean was dialing, Cas tried to joke, "I guess I'm not much of a fighter, huh?"

"Shhh Cas, just shut up," said Dean, listening to his phone ring. Then, into his phone, "Sam! Get the Impala and bring it to the fountain by Caspard hall, ok? Quickly." He turned to his hurt friend, who maybe he might want to be more than a friend but God why was he thinking about that now, and started talking, just to distract them both. "I know, I should call an ambulance, but by the time the call gets routed through and they finally show up, we could already be at Mercy."

After what felt like hours, Sam finally showed up and helped Dean get Cas into the car as gently as possible. Cas didn't make a sound the entire time, something that made both brothers nervous. For once, Dean let Sam drive while he sat in the back just talking to Cas, trying to distract him.

As soon as they arrived, Dean helped Cas out of the car and into the emergency room, where they were swarmed by doctors. Cas was taken into the triage area and Dean was told to stay in the waiting area.

Mostly numb after all the excitement, Dean just nodded and sat in a chair. Sam came in and sat beside him, but Dean barely noticed, just stared at the door through which Cas had disappeared. Sam left, came back with coffee, sat with him some more.

At long last, a doctor came through the door, looked around and headed for Dean, who stood up immediately. "Is he ok? What happened? Is he awake? Come on, tell me something!"

"Dean! Deep breath. He can't answer if you're yelling at him," cut in Sam, jerking Dean out of his rant.

The doctor looked at Sam gratefully, then turned to Dean. "There was no damage to the internal organs, that's the good news. The bad news is that he fractured his radius and sustained greenstick fractures to several ribs. Not enough to need pins, but we will have to keep him overnight. You can come see him if you want." At this, Dean brightened considerably and followed the doctor through a pair of swinging doors into a long hallway, practically stepping on his heels as he led the brothers to a door and stepped to one side to allow them to enter. "He might be a bit out of it, we gave him some morphine for the pain." He murmured as the two entered, looking at Castiel, who was sitting up in bed smiling idiotically at them.

"Sam! Dean! Sam and Dean!" Here Cas stopped and giggled, actually giggled, at what was apparently a hilarious joke. "Guys! This morphine stuff…it's like distilled butterflies and rainbows."

"So I take it you're feeling better?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow at Sam.

"Oh yeah. I feel great. My arm doesn't even hurt. Kinda heavy though. Casts are very heavy. Ha! It sounded like I said 'cats are very heavy'. I don't have a cat though, so I can't say for sure. Oh! I forgot to tell you! The police were here, they're gonna look for the guys who got me. They offered to post a guard, but I said you guys were here, so that's ok. Plus, the guys were both like 40, not cute at all. Also, I asked the doc and he says since you guys are like family, you can stay past visiting hours as long as you're well behaved." Cas waggled his eyebrows suggestively at this. Dean wasn't sure whether to ask if Cas was ok or burst out laughing. Sam was trying for a concerned face and trying not to laugh, so it just came out constipated. Dean finally decided to say something just to get Cas to stop talking.

"So you're all right? I damn near had a heart attack when you called me."

"I'm ok," said Cas, now yawning. "Kinda tired though."

"Just go to sleep Cas, we'll be right here," replied Sam, smiling and walking out to ask a nurse about some pillows and blankets, knowing Dean wouldn't be willing to leave Cas.

Dean just sat in the comfy chair that he had dragged over next to Cas's bed and watched him sleep.

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Ok so that's longer than usual, to make up for my evil nonposting-ness. Sorry about all the angst and stuff, but that's apparently all I can write. XD Please, for the love of destiel, send me ideas! As per usual, I love you all, lots of hugs and Impala cookies for all of you. More reviews or PM's or stuff means faster updates. Need even more destiel? Try my blog! Now only 19.95 plus shipping and handling (sorry, it sounded like a bad infomercial and I love making fun of myself). But in all seriousness, my blog is on Tumblr, I'm yrnight (and this is Disney channel!). Goodbye, for real this time!


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